Problem Behavior Consultations

The process of consultation is an individualized way of arriving at a diagnosis for your animal, educating you on the motivations behind your pets behavior, and developing a customized treatment plan that will result in the improvement of your pets behavior.

Arriving at a diagnosis includes

Providing a written behavioral history prior to consultation to enable me to spend our time together on a focused diagnosis

• Ruling out medical issues by working with your veterinarian to determine if any important aspects of health need to be evaluated in addition to behavioral treatment. Why do this?
• Meeting with you, your family and your pet for 1-1.5 hours. You can expect the first 30-40 minutes of our time together to be dedicated to discussion of various aspects of your pets behavior and observation of your pet prior to arriving at the eventual diagnosis.
• Correct diagnosis is paramount to successful treatment. Behavior is complex and getting a complete history takes time.

Gaining a New Understanding of Your Best Friend

To really know a person, it has been said we must walk a mile in their shoes. Through discussion of your pets problem and explanation of their point of view, their behavior becomes more understandable. Sometimes the most frustrating, difficult part of the behavior is just not knowing why it is happening. Understanding your pets perspective helps you re-establish your bond and begin the road to recovery.

During our consultation I will help you understand:

• What specifically your pet is perceiving, what stimuli they are reacting to and how it relates to their problem behavior
• What their perspective is during problem situations
• The scientific and medical research that relates to their diagnosis
• Why they are motivated to perform the behavior

Treating Your Pet

Not every pet is the same. Not every family has the same needs. Diagnoses are complex. The process of individualized treatment takes these variables into account. Within the framework of scientifically sound treatment, I work with you to establish a customized plan for how to improve your pets behavior. I give you a written copy of the plan we decide upon, as well as written explanation of each type of behavior modification recommended. I share a copy of this report with your referring veterinarian so that they can know best how to support you and your pet during the treatment process.

You can expect at least some of the following to be a part of your treatment plan.

• Changes to the pets environment. Some temporary, some longer term, environmental management strategies are aimed at keeping your pet safe while they are learning new skills to cope with previously provoking stimuli and minimizing exposure to those stimuli until they are ready to make use of them in the course of treatment.
• Behavioral modification. This is not obedience training, which is aimed at teaching new behaviors, but rather conditioning exercises, which are designed to change an animals emotional response to problem situations. These are safe, effective and humane exercises. All the exercises appropriate to your pets diagnosis will be demonstrated and explained during consultation.
• Pharmacological intervention: Depending on the diagnosis and the severity, we can discuss whether medication, diet change, or other additions might be useful adjucts to treatment.

Commitment to Success

Behavioral change doesn't happen overnight, and my commitment to you doesn't end when our consultation appointment is over. For the following three months, I stay available to you to give you guidance and serve as an advisor as new situations come up. I am only a phone call or an email away, and can help you navigate your way to a successful outcome.